Handheld indicia reader having locking endcap

ABSTRACT

An indicia-reading device including an indicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about indicia within the indicia-capturing subsystem&#39;s field of view and an indicia-decoding module configured for decoding indicia information within the indicia-capturing subsystem&#39;s field of view. The device also includes a hand-supportable housing, a battery compartment, an end cap for holding the battery compartment in place, and a locking mechanism for securing the end cap to the battery compartment during use.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of indicia readers,such as barcode scanners. More specifically, the present inventionrelates to devices for securely locking an end cap of a handheld indiciareader to its battery compartment during use.

BACKGROUND

Indicia readers, such as barcode scanners, are typically configured toacquire information from indicia and then decode that information foruse in data systems. Indicia-reading systems may embrace various kindsof devices used to read indicia, including handheld barcode scanners.

Indicia-reading systems, such as handheld barcode scanners, can beoptimized through the application of human factors and ergonomics.Generally speaking, human factors and ergonomics is a discipline thatfocuses on those variables that affect the performance of individualsusing devices. The discipline is applied to achieve highly usabledevices.

If a device, such as a handheld bar code scanner, is not designed toachieve high usability in its environment, then errors and delays canoccur, even during operation by skilled users. A device with a highlevel of usability accommodates users with a wide range of skill levelsworking under variable conditions, is less prone to user error, andrequires less user training.

As one example, in battery powered devices it is desirable to be able toremove the battery for replacement or recharging. In the case ofhandheld scanning devices, for instance, an end cap may lock a batteryin place when it is secured within the handle portion of the handheldscanner's housing, and the end cap may be removed in order to access thebattery compartment and remove, recharge, and/or replace the batterywhen the device is not in use.

During use of a hand held scanner, or a similar battery powered device,the device is often jostled such that the battery is subject to motionwithin the battery compartment. As a result, if a conventional fastener(e.g., a conventional screw) is used to secure the end cap, over timethe jostling of the device may loosen the fastener securing the end cap.Accordingly, the use of conventional fasteners that are easily removablecreates problems because the ability to properly secure the end cap isdependent upon proper torque being applied to prevent the end cap fromloosening. In this regard, the strength of the operator may have asignificant impact on the ability for the fastener to remain secureduring use.

Therefore, a need exists for improved devices and for securing an endcap of a handheld battery powered device, such as a handheld scanner, tothe battery compartment of the device so that the end cap will notbecome unsecured during use. More particularly, there exists a need fora highly usable device that locks a battery compartment in place when itis secured within the handle portion of a handheld battery powereddevice such as a handheld indicia reader (e.g., a handheld scanner).

SUMMARY

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention embraces anindicia-reading device (i.e., an indicia reader). The indicia reader hasan indicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about indiciawithin the subsystem's field of view. The indicia reader also has anindicia-decoding module, which includes a signal processor, for decodingindicia information. The indicia reader has a hand-supportable housingenclosing the indicia-capturing subsystem and the indicia-decodingmodule. The hand-supportable housing includes an integral batterycompartment and a removable end cap that secures the battery compartmentand battery in place. The end cap includes a recessed portion and akeyhole that is within the recessed portion. The indicia reader alsoincludes a rotatable locking mechanism that is used to secure the endcap to the battery compartment. The rotatable locking mechanism includesa longitudinal blade that engages the end cap's keyhole, and a head bowpositioned on top of the blade. The rotatable locking mechanism alsoincludes a clip for restricting rotation of the locking mechanism whenthe clip is in a locked position. Conversely, the clip permits rotationof the rotatable locking mechanism within the end cap's recessed portionwhen the clip is in an unlocked position. The clip is affixed to therotatable locking mechanism's head bow. When the rotatable lockingmechanism is engaged in the end cap, the end cap's recessed portionaccommodates the clip in its locked position. As measured from thecenter of the end cap's keyhole, the end cap's recessed portion has aminimum radius r_(recess-min). As measured from the axis of the lockingmechanism's blade, the rotatable locking mechanism's clip has a radiusr_(up-max) when unlocked, a radius r_(down-max) when locked, andr_(up-max)<r_(recess-min)<r_(down-max).

In an exemplary embodiment, a complete rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism is permitted when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is inan unlocked position.

In another exemplary embodiment, complete rotation of the rotatablelocking mechanism is prevented when the rotatable locking mechanism'sclip is in a locked position.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism is restricted to less than 30 degrees when the rotatablelocking mechanism's clip is in a locked position.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism'sclip allows for hand rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism whenthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in an unlocked position.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism'shead bow includes a frictional interference slot that engages therotatable locking mechanism's clip in the unlocked position allowing forhand rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism when the rotatablelocking mechanism's clip is in an unlocked position.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the indicia-reading device is ahandheld scanner.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the integral battery compartment ispositioned within a base portion of the hand-supportable housing.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism isa captive screw.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the indicia-reading device isbattery powered.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the battery is a rechargeablebattery.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism'sblade has a threaded portion.

In another aspect, the present invention embraces an indicia-readingdevice (i.e., an indicia reader) that has an indicia-capturing subsystemfor acquiring information about indicia within the subsystem's field ofview. The indicia reader also has an indicia-decoding module, whichincludes a signal processor, for decoding indicia information. Theindicia reader has a hand-supportable housing that encloses theindicia-capturing subsystem and the indicia-decoding module. Thehand-supportable housing includes an integral battery compartment and aremovable end cap that secures the battery compartment and batter inplace. The end cap includes a recessed portion and a keyhole that iswithin the end cap's recessed portion. The indicia reader also includesa rotatable locking mechanism that is used to secure the end cap to thebattery compartment. The rotatable locking mechanism includes alongitudinal blade that engages the end cap's keyhole and a head bowpositioned on top of the rotatable locking mechanism's longitudinalblade. The rotatable locking mechanism also includes a clip forrestricting the rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism when theclip is in a locked position. Conversely, the clip permits rotation ofthe rotatable locking mechanism within the end cap's recessed portionwhen the clip is in an unlocked position. The clip is affixed to therotatable locking mechanism's head bow. When the rotatable lockingmechanism is engaged in the end cap, the end cap's recessed portionaccommodates the clip in its locked position. As measured from thecenter of the end cap's keyhole, the end cap's recessed portion has aminimum radius r_(recess-min). As measured from the axis of the lockingmechanism's blade, the rotatable locking mechanism's clip has a radiusr_(up-max) when unlocked, a radius r_(down-max) when locked, andr_(up-max)<r_(recess-min)<r_(down-max). The rotatable lockingmechanism's head bow includes a frictional interference lip for engagingthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip in the locked position. Acomplete rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism is permitted whenthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in an unlocked position.Conversely, complete rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism isprevented when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in a lockedposition.

In another exemplary embodiment, rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism is restricted to less than 50 degrees when the rotatablelocking mechanism's clip is in a locked position.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism'sclip allows for hand rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism whenthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in an unlocked position.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism'shead bow includes a frictional interference slot for engaging therotatable locking mechanism's clip in the unlocked position thatfacilitates hand rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the indicia-reading device is ahandheld scanner.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism isa captive screw.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the rotatable locking mechanism'sblade includes a threaded portion.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the battery is a rechargeablebattery.

The foregoing illustrative summary, as well as other exemplaryobjectives and/or advantages of the invention, and the manner in whichthe same are accomplished, are further explained within the followingdetailed description and its accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary indicia reader.

FIG. 2 illustrates, via a schematic block diagram, an exemplary indiciacapturing system.

FIG. 3 depicts a bottom view of an exemplary indicia reader.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary locking mechanism in adown or “locked” position.

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary locking mechanism inan up or “unlocked” position.

FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of an exemplary locking mechanismpositioned within an exemplary end cap.

FIG. 7 depicts a bottom view of an exemplary indicia reader.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention embraces indicia readers. In particular, thepresent invention embraces handheld indicia readers, such as handheldscanners, having a locking end cap that secures the battery compartmentand battery of the indicia reader in place during use and that allowsfor removal of the battery compartment in order to access, remove, andreplace/recharge the battery when the device is not in use.

The term “indicia” is intended to refer broadly to various kinds ofmachine-readable indicia, including barcodes, QR codes, matrix codes, 1Dcodes, 2D codes, RFID tags, characters, etc. The indicia are typicallygraphical representations of information (e.g., data), such as productnumbers, package tracking numbers, or personnel identification numbers.The use of indicia readers to input data into a system, rather thanmanual data entry, results in generally faster and more reliable dataentry.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts an exemplaryindicia-reading device according to the present invention, in this casea handheld scanner (100). The exemplary handheld scanner (100) includesa hand-supportable housing (102).

The housing (102) has a head portion (102A) that is provided with alight transmission window (103) integrated within the head portion(102A) of the housing (102). The light transmission window (103) mayinclude a laser (e.g., infrared) or an image reading sensor that isutilized for reading symbols, images, and the like. As illustrated inFIG. 1, a manually-actuated trigger switch (104) may be utilized toactivate an indicia capturing system (200) (as depicted via schematicdiagram at FIG. 2).

The exemplary indicia reader, in this case a handheld scanner (100),includes an indicia-capturing system (200) that includes anindicia-capturing subsystem (210), as depicted at FIG. 2. Theindicia-capturing subsystem (210) acquires information about indiciawithin the indicia-capturing subsystem's (210) field of view. Typically,an object (112) that bears an indicium may be placed within the field ofview of the indicia-capturing subsystem (210). Alternatively, theindicia-capturing subsystem (210) may be manipulated to reposition thefield of view to include the object (112) bearing the indicium.

In some instances, the indicia-capturing subsystem (210) may be a laserscanning subsystem that sweeps a light beam (e.g., a laser beam) acrossthe field of view and then receives the optical signals that reflect orscatter off the indicium. Typically, the optical signal is receivedusing a photoreceptor (e.g., photodiode) and is converted into anelectrical signal. The electrical signal is an electronic representationof the indicia information (e.g., the data represented by the indicia).When in the form of an electrical signal, this information can beprocessed (e.g., decoded) by the indicia-capturing system (200).References contained herein to electrical signals are intended broadlyto also encompass digital images capable of being electronicallyprocessed (e.g., an image-processing computer processor).

As shown in FIG. 2, the indicia-reading system (200) may also include anindicia-decoding module (220). The indicia-decoding module (220) isconfigured to decode indicia information (e.g., electrical signal ordigital image) acquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem (210).

As shown in FIG. 1, the exemplary hand-supportable scanner's housing(102) may include a base portion (102B). The base portion (102B)includes an internal battery compartment (106) that may contain aremovable power source, such as a rechargeable battery (107), forpowering the exemplary hand-supportable scanner (100).

The end cap (108), which includes a recessed portion (108A), engages thebattery compartment (106) (FIG. 1 and FIG. 3). The locking mechanism(109) is positioned within the recessed portion (108A). Lockingmechanism (109), which is used for locking the battery compartment(106), secures the end cap (108) to the battery compartment (106) whenengaged within the recessed portion of the end cap (108A). Conversely,locking mechanism (109) may be disengaged in order to remove the end cap(108), access the battery compartment (106), and remove and charge thebattery (107).

Exemplary locking mechanism (109) is depicted standing alone at FIGS. 4and 5, and in a cross-sectional view positioned within the end cap (108)at FIG. 6. The exemplary locking mechanism (109) is rotatable andincludes a longitudinal blade (110) for inserting into and engaging thehand supportable housing (102) within the end cap's keyhole (113), whichextends internally into the end cap (108) (FIG. 6). The exemplarylocking mechanism (109) includes a head bow (111)—the head portion ofthe locking mechanism which is left protruding from the end cap(108)—for positioning the rotatable locking mechanism's blade (110)within the end cap's keyhole (113).

As depicted at FIG. 6, the exemplary locking mechanism (109) is in theform of a captive screw that secures the end cap (108) to the batterycompartment (106) when engaged but that cannot be separated from the endcap (108) when disengaged. The captive screw provides added usabilityfor the exemplary handheld scanner (100) such that the locking mechanism(109) cannot be misplaced or lost when the end cap (108) is disengagedfrom the battery compartment (106). Although a captive screw as depictedat FIG. 6 is described, those having skill in the art will appreciatethat various other fasteners (e.g. threaded screws, bolts, flanges,pins, quarter turn fasteners, etc.) may otherwise be utilized as alocking mechanism.

The exemplary locking mechanism (109) includes a clip (112) thatrestricts the rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism (109) withinthe end cap's recessed portion (108A) when the clip (112) is in a down,locked position as depicted at FIGS. 3 and 4. Conversely, as depicted atFIG. 5, the locking mechanism's clip (112) permits rotation of therotatable locking mechanism (109) within the end cap's recessed portion(108A) when the clip (112) is in an upward, unlocked position. The clip(112), when in an upward, unlocked position, provides added usability inthat it allows a user to apply additional leverage to secure andunsecure the locking mechanism (109) without the use of an additional orexternal tool. The frictional interference slot (115) engages therotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) in the unlocked position,further facilitating hand rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism(109) when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) is in anunlocked position.

As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 6, the exemplary rotatable lockingmechanism's head bow (111) may include a frictional interference lip(114) for engaging the rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) in thedownward, locked position. In this regard, application of additionalforce would be required to disengage the rotatable locking mechanism'sclip (112) from the locked position to an unlocked position, as shown inFIG. 5.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, when the longitudinal blade (110) is engagedwith the end cap's keyhole (113), and the rotatable locking mechanism(109) is in the locked position in the recessed portion (108A) of theend cap (108), the end cap is secured to the battery compartment (106).

As shown in FIG. 3, the exemplary end cap's recessed portion (108A) isconfigured to accommodate the rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112)in its downward, locked position. Because of its position within therecessed portion (108A), complete rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism (109) is prevented when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip(112) is in a locked position. Generally, rotation of the rotatablelocking mechanism (109) may be restricted to less than 90 degrees (e.g.,75 degrees or less) when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) isin a locked position. In some embodiments, the rotation of the rotatablelocking mechanism (109) may be restricted to less than 60 degrees (e.g.,45 degrees or less), such as less than 30 degrees (e.g., 25 degrees orless).

In this regard, the rotatable locking mechanism (109) effectivelysecures the end cap (108) as long as a complete rotation of therotatable locking mechanism (109) is prevented such that the end cap(108) does not become unsecured when the clip (112) is in a lockedposition.

In FIG. 7, a bottom view of an exemplary indicia reader is shown withthe locking mechanism's clip (112) in the downward, locked position. Asmeasured from the center of the end cap's keyhole (113), the end cap'srecessed portion has a minimum radius r_(recess-min). As measured withrespect to the axis defined by the rotatable locking mechanism's blade,the rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) has a maximum radiusr_(up-max) when unlocked and a maximum radius r_(down-max) when locked.In order to prevent complete rotation of the locking mechanism (109)when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) is in a lockedposition, and conversely to allow for rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism (109) when it is in a unlocked position, the relationship forthe respective radii is defined as follows:r_(up-max)<r_(recess-min)<r_(down-max).

The clip (112) and recessed portion (108A) are not limited to theexemplary embodiments disclosed and may have a wide-range ofcomplementary configurations (e.g. circular, triangular, quadrilateral,etc.) that prevent complete rotation of the locking mechanism (109) whenthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip (112) is in a locked position,and conversely that allow for rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism (109) when it is in an unlocked position.

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In the specification and/or figures, typical embodiments of theinvention have been disclosed. The present invention is not limited tosuch exemplary embodiments. The use of the term “and/or” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Thefigures are schematic representations and so are not necessarily drawnto scale. Unless otherwise noted, specific terms have been used in ageneric and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An indicia-reading device, comprising: anindicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about indiciawithin the indicia-capturing subsystem's field of view; anindicia-decoding module configured for decoding indicia informationwithin the indicia-capturing subsystem's field of view, theindicia-decoding module comprising a signal processor; and ahand-supportable housing substantially enclosing the indicia-capturingsubsystem and the indicia-decoding module, the hand-supportable housingincluding (i) an integral battery compartment, (ii) an end cap removablyengaging the battery compartment, the end cap defining a recessedportion and a keyhole within the end cap's recessed portion, and (iii) arotatable locking mechanism for securing the end cap to the batterycompartment; wherein the rotatable locking mechanism comprises (i) alongitudinal blade for engaging the end cap's keyhole, the longitudinalblade defining an axis, (ii) a head bow for positioning the rotatablelocking mechanism's blade within the end cap's keyhole, the head bowcontiguously positioned atop the rotatable locking mechanism'slongitudinal blade, and (iii) a clip for rotatably restricting rotationof the rotatable locking mechanism within the end cap's recessed portionwhen the clip is in a locked position and permitting rotation of therotatable locking mechanism within the end cap's recessed portion whenthe clip is in a unlocked position, the clip affixed to the rotatablelocking mechanism's head bow; wherein, when the rotatable lockingmechanism is engaged in the end cap to thereby secure the end cap to thebattery compartment, the end cap's recessed portion is configured toaccommodate the rotatable locking mechanism's clip in its lockedposition; wherein, as measured from the center of the end cap's keyhole,the end cap's recessed portion has a minimum radius r_(recess-min);wherein, as measured with respect to the axis defined by the rotatablelocking mechanism's blade, the rotatable locking mechanism's clip has aradius r_(up-max) when unlocked and a radius r_(down-max) when locked;and wherein r_(up-max)<r_(recess-min)<r_(down-max).
 2. Theindicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein substantiallycomplete rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism is permitted whenthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in an unlocked position. 3.The indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein completerotation of the rotatable locking mechanism is prevented when therotatable locking mechanism's clip is in a locked position.
 4. Theindicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein rotation of therotatable locking mechanism is restricted to less than 30 degrees whenthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in a locked position.
 5. Theindicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatablelocking mechanism's clip facilitates hand rotation of the rotatablelocking mechanism when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in anunlocked position.
 6. The indicia-reading device according to claim 1,wherein the rotatable locking mechanism's head bow includes a frictionalinterference slot for engaging the rotatable locking mechanism's clip inthe unlocked position facilitating hand rotation of the rotatablelocking mechanism when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in anunlocked position.
 7. The indicia-reading device according to claim 1,wherein the indicia-reading device is a handheld scanner.
 8. Theindicia-reading device according to claim 7, wherein the integralbattery compartment is positioned within a base portion of the handsupportable housing.
 9. The indicia-reading device according to claim 1,wherein the rotatable locking mechanism comprises a captive screw. 10.The indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein theindicia-reading device is battery powered.
 11. The indicia-readingdevice according to claim 10, wherein the battery is a rechargeablebattery.
 12. The indicia-reading device according to claim 1, whereinthe rotatable locking mechanism's blade comprises a threaded portion.13. An indicia-reading device, comprising: an indicia-capturingsubsystem for acquiring information about indicia within theindicia-capturing subsystem's field of view; an indicia-decoding moduleconfigured for decoding indicia information within the indicia-capturingsubsystem's field of view, the indicia-decoding module comprising asignal processor; and a hand-supportable housing substantially enclosingthe indicia-capturing subsystem and the indicia-decoding module, thehand-supportable housing including (i) an integral battery compartment,(ii) an end cap removably engaging the battery compartment, the end capdefining a recessed portion and a keyhole within the end cap's recessedportion, and (iii) a rotatable locking mechanism for securing the endcap to the battery compartment; wherein the rotatable locking mechanismcomprises (i) a longitudinal blade for engaging the end cap's keyhole,the longitudinal blade defining an axis, (ii) a head bow for positioningthe rotatable locking mechanism's blade within the end cap's keyhole,the head bow contiguously positioned atop the rotatable lockingmechanism's longitudinal blade, and (iii) a clip for rotatablyrestricting rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism within the endcap's recessed portion when the clip is in a locked position andpermitting rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism within the endcap's recessed portion when the clip is in a unlocked position, the clipaffixed to the rotatable locking mechanism's head bow; wherein, when therotatable locking mechanism is engaged in the end cap to thereby securethe end cap to the battery compartment, the end cap's recessed portionis configured to accommodate the rotatable locking mechanism's clip inits locked position; wherein, as measured from the center of the endcap's keyhole, the end cap's recessed portion has a minimum radiusr_(recess-min); wherein, as measured with respect to the axis defined bythe rotatable locking mechanism's blade, the rotatable lockingmechanism's clip has a radius r_(up-max) when unlocked and a radiusr_(down-max) when locked; whereinr_(up-max)<r_(recess-min)<r_(down-max); wherein the rotatable lockingmechanism's head bow includes a frictional interference lip for engagingthe rotatable locking mechanism's clip in the locked position; whereinsubstantially complete rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism ispermitted when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in an unlockedposition; and wherein complete rotation of the rotatable lockingmechanism is prevented when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is ina locked position.
 14. The indicia-reading device according to claim 13,wherein rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism is restricted toless than 50 degrees when the rotatable locking mechanism's clip is in alocked position.
 15. The indicia-reading device according to claim 13,wherein the rotatable locking mechanism's clip facilitates hand rotationof the rotatable locking mechanism when the rotatable lockingmechanism's clip is in an unlocked position.
 16. The indicia-readingdevice according to claim 13, wherein the rotatable locking mechanism'shead bow includes a frictional interference slot for engaging therotatable locking mechanism's clip in the unlocked position facilitatinghand rotation of the rotatable locking mechanism when the rotatablelocking mechanism's clip is in an unlocked position.
 17. Theindicia-reading device according to claim 13, wherein theindicia-reading device is a handheld scanner.
 18. The indicia-readingdevice according to claim 13, wherein the rotatable locking mechanismcomprises a captive screw.
 19. The indicia-reading device according toclaim 13, wherein the rotatable locking mechanism's blade comprises athreaded portion.
 20. The indicia-reading device according to claim 13,wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery.